Introducing Design Decisions

As
an editor, every now and then you come across what seems to be a great new way
to communicate needed information to and with your audience. While on the road
recently visiting several industry suppliers, I was lucky enough to arrive at
just such an idea with the help of one of the suppliers with which I met.

During
a meeting with Beverly Nielsen and John Walker of Exlar, a provider of
electro-mechanical actuators, they offered me a brief technical reference article
addressing the major points about why some designers are choosing
electro-mechanical devices over pneumatic ones. The major points addressed in
the reference article include positioning capabilities, energy costs and
component costs.

Of
course, no one would expect an electro-mechanical device manufacturer to say
anything but good things about their type of products (and vice versa with a
pneumatic device provider), but reading over the technical reference note made
me realize the potential in their technical reference on a larger scale.

Design
engineers are faced with decision after decision on what types of devices,
components, connections, etc. to use on any one of their projects. And while no
one source can provide the ultimate answer as to what type of solution to use
in every case, there is great benefit in providing a platform for discussion
around the numerous sides to each decision that designers must consider.

Moving
forward, Design
News will provide just such a platform for the global design
engineering audience. It will be known as "Design Decisions." This platform
will be open to anyone - industry supplier or practicing engineer - to point
out the highlights in making one type of design decision over another.

Click
here
to read the first installment in this new series - based on the technical
reference note from Exlar on the benefits of electro-mechanical actuators versus
pneumatic actuators.

Our
intent with this platform is to keep it as open as possible and allow everyone
the opportunity to contribute to the content of Design News.
Everyone - readers or industry suppliers - is invited to contribute. As long as
the topic is a valid design consideration faced by design engineers in any one
of the principal topic areas Design News covers - electronics &
test, automation & control, materials & assembly or design hardware &
software - your idea will receive due consideration.

Consider
this new platform an attempt to bring the concept of evidence-based design to
the system and product design arena. Long associated with the architecture and
healthcare industries, evidence-based design is a field of study that
emphasizes the importance of using credible data in order to influence the
design process. Whereas evidence-based design has gained acceptance in the
healthcare field due to studies that have shown how the physical environment
can influence well-being, promote healing, relieve pain and stress, and also
reduce medical errors, "Design Decisions" for our audience could serve as a
small step toward fostering a more stress-free design environment through
sharing of much-needed information. It should also result in more beneficial
systems and products for end users.

If
you would like to participate in this new platform, feel free to contact us
directly with your idea. Lauren Muskett,
our assistant editor, will handle all incoming proposals. She can be reached at
lauren.muskett@ubm.com. Please note
that your proposed article should be brief and to the point - highlighting the
distinctions between making one decision over another.

A few weeks ago, Ford Motor Co. quietly announced that it was rolling out a new wrinkle to the powerful safety feature called stability control, adding even more lifesaving potential to a technology that has already been very successful.

It won't be too much longer and hardware design, as we used to know it, will be remembered alongside the slide rule and the Karnaugh map. You will need to move beyond those familiar bits and bytes into the new world of software centric design.

People who want to take advantage of solar energy in their homes no longer need to install a bolt-on solar-panel system atop their houses -- they can integrate solar-energy-harvesting shingles directing into an existing or new roof instead.

Focus on Fundamentals consists of 45-minute on-line classes that cover a host of technologies. You learn without leaving the comfort of your desk. All classes are taught by subject-matter experts and all are archived. So if you can't attend live, attend at your convenience.